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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27951416">Shields</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CateWolfe/pseuds/CateWolfe'>CateWolfe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Hobbit - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fireside conversations, Gap Filler, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:15:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27951416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CateWolfe/pseuds/CateWolfe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A shield, Thorin says, is the most important thing to have in a battle.</p><p>(After all, you can’t slay a dragon if you’re dead.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bilbo Baggins &amp; Thorin Oakenshield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Have A Happy Hobbit Holiday 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shields</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azraella/gifts">Azraella</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bilbo, as was becoming painfully apparent, had no idea at all what to do with his elf-dagger.</p><p>Gandalf would not teach him, for some reason or another; he only sat on a gnarled stump at the edge of the campfire's light, smoking his strange, long pipe. By this time of night he had managed to form a venerable cloud of tiny smoke-rings around his head. They seemed to swirl, somehow, and not even one of them managed to float away into the night.</p><p>It was Kíli’s turn to try teaching Bilbo, although nobody seemed to expect anything more to come of it than a good laugh.</p><p>Thorin also sat at the edge of the light, but at quite the other side from Gandalf’s perch. Steadfastly he looked away from all the rest of the party, smoking his own square pipe in a dreadful rage. Gandalf (as Thorin had just decided) had abandoned them just when they needed him most— of course they <em> had </em> managed to survive the troll-encounter, but such a disappearance was still very poor form for a wizard. Furthermore, the dwarves of the Company were behaving like fools. It was a childish kind of notion, putting a sword in the hand of someone who had never known any real hardship. The hobbit would only hurt himself with that dagger— or worse, he might yet hurt someone who could otherwise have been of some use in a fight.</p><p>This last possibility was not to be risked; after all, Gandalf had shown himself unreliable, so an injury would leave Thorin with only eleven fellow-soldiers.</p><p>Quickly Thorin put out his pipe, then hurried over to the fire, and not a moment too soon— from the sound of Bifur and Bofur’s chatter, Bombur was beginning to think about trying his skill as a teacher, which was something that could only end in disaster for all parties concerned.</p><p>“What’s all this?” said Thorin, rather loudly.</p><p>“Hullo, Mister Oakenshield,” said Bilbo. (<em> He thinks he’s being polite, </em> Thorin reminded himself, <em> which is more than I can say for most. </em>)</p><p>“Good evening, uncle!” said Kíli. “I’m teaching Bilbo how to use that sword we found for him in the troll-cave. Although I can’t say he’s learning very quickly, because elven swords are balanced much differently than all ours are, so—” </p><p>"So it is not going particularly well." Thorin nodded sagely, then turned toward Bilbo. “What have you learned so far?”</p><p>Bilbo hesitated for a moment, then attempted a series of broad horizontal swings. Unfortunately he was holding the sword extremely incorrectly, so these particular swings, if attempted in an actual battle, would not do anything other than smack an orc with the flat of the blade. In Thorin’s experience this only ever made orcs angrier, so it would almost be worse than not having hit the orc in question at all. In addition, Bilbo did not seem to know what to do with his left arm. It dangled at his side, except when he lost his balance, at which point he began to wave it furiously.</p><p>“Well,” said Thorin, remembering suddenly that hobbits aged very strangely, and Bilbo was younger than Fíli and Kíli, even if he didn’t look it. “Perhaps we ought to try something completely different.”</p><p>“I do think that would be best,” said Bilbo. “But is there any chance it can wait for tomorrow? None of us slept at all last night, if I recall correctly.”</p><p>This was true. Thorin looked at the sky, and found that the moon had risen quite a bit since they made camp. Beginners didn’t learn anything when they were exhausted; the company would rest for the night.</p><p>
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</p><p>In the morning they could not immediately attend to the matter of teaching Bilbo, for they had lost much time at the troll-cave and now had to move very quickly east.</p><p>But soon the day was ended, and they made camp, and it was time for Thorin to bring out Bilbo’s gift.</p><p>It was Thorin’s spare shield; a cheap little thing that he had bought in the Blue Mountains before setting out, but it would be the right weight for Bilbo to carry, and more useful to him than the dagger.</p><p>“This is a shield,” said Thorin, in case Bilbo didn’t know. “You should learn to use this first, before the sword.”</p><p>Bilbo looked disappointed. “I suppose that’s all right,” he said, accepting the shield. “How do I put it on?”</p><p>Thorin showed him, after which they spent nearly an hour going over how to stand, and how to hold the shield, and how to keep from being knocked over.</p><p>After all this, Bilbo seemed to be growing quite weary, so they sat down to rest. Thorin sat much closer to the fire tonight than he had the night before, and the two of them ate a late supper of dried venison and river water.</p><p>“Tomorrow,” ventured Bilbo, “do you think I would be ready to begin sword lessons?”</p><p>Thorin finished chewing his venison before answering. “Certainly not,” he said. “Perhaps in a week, if you learn quickly.”</p><p>Bilbo looked disappointed again, although he tried to hide it this time. “You would know better than I do,” he said, and he sounded as if he were trying to convince himself.</p><p>Thinking of a good reply took Thorin a very long while, and he bit off a chunk of gristle as an excuse for not saying anything. But at last he thought of it, and carefully said, “Shields are more important than swords.”</p><p>“Really?” asked Bilbo.</p><p>Thorin nodded. “Of course! They do call me Oaken<em>shield, </em> you know, not Oakensword. A shield is what keeps you alive to fight another day— like when you distracted those trolls.”</p><p>Around the campfire, the Company nodded in agreement.</p><p>“That does make sense,” said Bilbo, who seemed to have been cheered up. “So if I learn to use a shield first, I’ll have more time to learn to use my sword!”</p><p>“Exactly,” said Thorin. "We shall have to be alive to deal with the dragon."</p><p>They returned to their food, but the mood of the camp seemed changed. There was an air (although neither of them could have explained it) that the two of them might have another conversation soon; the next day, maybe, or the day after that.</p><p>And all the while, at the edge of the firelight, Gandalf sat on a large, square stone, smoke whirling around his head like the stars. He was smiling.</p>
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